“Power. People. Data.” That is a core theme of this year’s program of Locarno Pro, the industry strand of the Locarno Film Festival, whose 79th edition is currently taking place in the Swiss lakeside city. But in which order should we think about these key concepts and buzzwords? Is it maybe people, power, data?
You may have your own thoughts, and the opening day of the 15th edition of Locarno Pro, led by Markus Duffner in his sixth year, showed that there are very different ways to think about the order of and relationship between the three. After all, a three-person panel shared three different approaches and thoughts.
Moderated by AC Coppers of The Catalysts, the panel featured Yasmine Talli, acquisitions manager at sales agent, producer and distributor mk2 Films, Andrea Occhipinti, president and founder of Italian producer and distributor Lucky Red, in which StudioCanal recently acquired a majority stake, Doris Ruth Eikhof, CEO of the University of Glasgow spin-out company Design Otherwise, which focuses on helping organizations to improve inclusion and diversity in the cultural sector.
Asked about how she thinks about the order of and relationship between the three words in focus of the discussion, Eikhof offered her take: power, data, people. “People will be people. They’ll be more or less wise or more or less flawed,” she explains. “So, we sort out the power structures first and the stories that we tell about ourselves – that’s what data really is. Then we have the best chance at creating a space in which everyone can prosper.”
